Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Florida Set To Ban Fluoride In Public Drinking Water
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said he plans to sign into law a bill that bans the use of fluoride in public water systems across the state. When it becomes law July 1, local governments are prohibited from using fluoride or other health additives to municipal water supplies, a practice that's been in place for decades to fortify dental hygiene. (Mayer, 5/6)
With Utah鈥檚 first-in-the-nation ban on fluoride in public drinking water set to take effect Wednesday, dentists who treat children and low-income patients say they鈥檙e bracing for an increase in tooth decay among the state鈥檚 most vulnerable people. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed the law against the recommendation of many dentists and national health experts who warn removing fluoride will harm tooth development, especially in young patients without regular access to dental care. (Schoenbaum, 5/6)
More health news from across the U.S. 鈥
Kind Life Dispensary has been offering cannabinoid gummies, tinctures, ointments, now even canned beverages for seven years as one of the first businesses in Nebraska to offer such products. Founder and co-owner Andrea Watkins said her venture has been wildly successful, and she now has three locations in Nebraska鈥檚 capital city that employ eight people and sell to hundreds of regulars who use the products to treat everything from aches and pains to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. But now, she鈥檚 worried her livelihood will crumble as a bill winding its way through the Nebraska Legislature would outlaw most of the products she sells. (Beck, 5/6)
Though Connecticut鈥檚 largest health care workers鈥 union has a May 19 strike deadline at 51 nursing homes, facilities already have incurred costs to prepare for a possible work stoppage, the head of a major industry association said Tuesday. (Phaneuf, 5/6)
Elon Musk鈥檚 artificial intelligence company is belching smog-forming pollution into an area of South Memphis that already leads the state in emergency department visits for asthma. None of the 35 methane gas turbines that help power xAI鈥檚 massive supercomputer is equipped with pollution controls typically required by federal rules. (Wittenberg, 5/6)
More than 80,000 people in Madison County recently learned their city鈥檚 water exceeded new state and federal limits on contamination from PFAS, or 鈥渇orever chemicals,鈥 the last time it was tested. Collinsville had some of the highest levels in the state: four and a half times the limit for one type of chemical. (Cortes, 5/6)
Fifteen-year-olds can鈥檛 get a driver鈥檚 license or vote in elections, but they can get married in Hawai驶i 鈥 one of a shrinking number of states that allows underage marriage. A bill that would鈥檝e outlawed the practice, raising the legal age of marriage to 18 without exceptions, passed the Hawai驶i House of Representatives this year but failed to gain traction in the Senate. It鈥檚 the seventh year in a row Hawai驶i lawmakers have considered a child marriage ban without passing legislation despite a push by national advocacy groups to end the practice. (Jedra, 5/6)